Go 2 Guy: Fans may lose it, but Baer hasn't

Published 10:00 pm, Wednesday, October 31, 2007

At Notre Dame, this candidate's defense was third in the nation against the run and allowed just five rushing touchdowns in 2004.

Before that, in '02, while still in South Bend, people thought so much of him that they made him a finalist for the Frank Broyles Award, given to the nation's top assistant coach.

He's got Pac-10 ties, too -- in '01, his Stanford Cardinal led the Pac-10 in rushing defense for the second time in school history. In '92, his Arizona State Sun Devils were seventh in the country in defense.

Try to find a defensive coordinator with better credentials, and the heck of it is, the Kent Baer you think is so gawd-awful is the same Kent Baer with the sparkling past. Talk about unfairly maligned.

Did he get stupid overnight? Did he somehow forget the coaching fundamentals that worked everywhere else? Based on the screams for his head in chat rooms, apparently so.

But do any of the idiots in cyberspace know what Baer is dealing with here? A lack of talent. A lack of depth. A lack of experience. You see meltdowns against Oregon and Arizona and other second-half collapses, and blame it all on him?

It's the same defense that, for the most part, stifled Boise State and held top-ranked Ohio State to three points at halftime. I assume the defensive stats will improve this week against impotent Stanford, then maybe everyone will get off Baer's back for awhile, until the next loss at least.

Even when asked if he would give him one, Tyrone Willingham did not give Baer a true vote of confidence earlier this week. Then when pressed on the subject Wednesday, Willingham still would not support Baer, saying: "We don't talk about dealings with coaches and staff in public. Those decisions all happen in private."

If the Huskies keep threatening dismal school records, Baer could be the scapegoat. And I'd say this to that -- if the lieutenant is sacrificed, you can condemn the general.

I spoke to Baer on Wednesday morning and he didn't know what to say. He had many things on his mind but was concerned about coming across the wrong way or having his comments misconstrued. He knows he's in charge of the defense and responsible for what's happened, never mentioning any of the extenuating factors. One thing was clear -- it's killing him, too.

He already works long hours, but after losses like last week's, he punches in earlier and leaves later. His days start at 6 a.m. and end about 10:30 p.m.

If you think you felt miserable Saturday after Arizona's 48-41 victory, Baer literally did not sleep.

"I tried, but sometimes it just doesn't happen," he said.

Since then, he's averaged about four hours a night, but it's not sound sleep -- he wakes up in the middle of the night and tosses and turns, thinking about the defense again.

The days are filled with meetings, practices and film sessions. The coaching staff took a break for dinner Tuesday night, but Baer skipped the meal to watch video. He doesn't feel like eating anyway.

"It's OK, I'm a strong person, but I probably should take better care of myself," Baer, 56, said.

The criticism hurts. E-mailers don't know him but call him a loser and swear a lot. His parents read what's being said about their son, and his three sons read what's being said about their dad.

He talks to his boys every day. Brian is in Utah running a family business, A.J. is at Mesa Community College and was playing football until he injured his hamstring, and the youngest, Steven, 16, lives with his mom in Utah.

A huge Huskies fan, Steven came to the Oregon game two weeks ago and left Husky Stadium when the score was tied at 31.

"He was too nervous to watch the rest of it," Baer said.

When he walked out of the locker room after the game, Baer saw Steven in tears and told him he loved him and gave him a hug.

"People don't understand how hard it is on families," Baer said.

Baer has a big support system consisting of close friends and family that also includes five sisters, one of whom is his twin. He talks to his sons every day and his parents every two to three days.

His parents, 84 and 83 years old, attend all of the home games. His dad reminds him that he's a great coach, he's been successful over the years, and that tough people get through times like these. He also tells him not to doubt his abilities.

Asked if he does, Baer said: "No, not at all. As a coach, you certainly have to take a look at the things you're doing, but I don't doubt myself. If I did, I wouldn't coach anymore."

He looks at the stinginess of his defenses at Notre Dame and says, "We did a lot of the same things we're doing now." He looks at stretches of games in which the Huskies stopped opponents this year and says, "It tells me we're doing a lot of the right things."

Arguing otherwise, and amplified by many, are statistics that put the Huskies among the nation's worst.

Baer praises his players and appreciates that they're working hard, calling Tuesday's practice one of the best of the year. He hopes he can help them by putting them in the right position often enough to beat Stanford on Saturday.

"I like our game plan a lot," he said. "But you've got to go out and execute it. We've spent a tremendous amount of time on it. Every week we do, but this week it's been (even more). We want to try to make sure we've got every base covered."

Baer has been beaten up, but he won't be beaten down, insisting he will get the job done.

"I've got a hell of a lot of pride," he said. "I am a good coach. I'm going to continue to work hard and listen. I'm going to do this another 10 years, whether here or somewhere else."